Lux Motorwerks: Against The Grain

There is more to customization than the flash and bang most are used to seeing and hearing. Lux Motorwerks of Keyport, New Jersey, set out in 2009 to demonstrate that it is beyond “the big boom.”

“[Lux is] not the kind of car shop that just wants to put big subs in the back and make it all about the boom—that’s not really our clientele or why we started this place,” says owner Stephen Stasiulewicz. While it seems counterproductive opening a business to go against what so many expect out of a shop, Lux’s plan is proving to be quite fruitful, with the shop doubling in size to 8,000 square feet in less than three years. “When we first started, we didn’t expect it to be this big, and it just morphed into something pretty huge at a fast rate,” explains Stephen.

His ideas for the customization game come from more than 15 years of experience and personal projects. “I built a GTI,” Stephen recalls. “The subs were built into the quarters so you didn’t have a trunk full. Everything was built in and real clean, and ever since, I was like, ‘Wow, this is the way I want to build from now on.’”

It was this desire for clean-looking customs that led to the creation of Lux and their dedication to all things OEM integration (original equipment from manufacturer). “We’re more of a full custom shop, because we do everything from full paint jobs to weird stuff like motorized curtains in Rolls-Royce Phantoms,” states Stephen. “We can do anything we want to do.”
What they do is nothing short of incredible, from something as non-glamorous as installing writing tables in the back of a Bentley Flying Spur—however, taking the time to match the grain, cut and stain of the wood all in house—to the luxury of a Wald body kit. “Our one thing is we try to make everything look as factory as possible…to make it look like it all belongs there and all flows. That’s what it really comes down to for us,” Stephen proclaims.

This conviction to a car’s original splendor has resulted in Lux becoming a major partner with other automotive dealers, in addition to their number of high-end clients. “We got calls on a Maybach,” says Stephen. “I have a stretched Rolls-Royce Phantom that we’re going to be doing some stuff to—just these crazy cars [that we’re working on].”